Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tegucigalpa (Agenzia Fides) - "Over his head hangs a death sentence. The drug traffickers in Central America, the international mafia that operates the largest illegal business in the world, have decided that Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and President of Caritas Internationalis, must die, because he spoke clearly, and said that drug trafficking is the greatest scourge of Central America and Latin America.” Thus began the interview with the Cardinal that Caritas Italy published last July, before the G8 meeting and after President Zelaya's removal from office on June 28. Asked about the economic crisis, the Cardinal replied: "It's the whole economic system that no longer works and the greatest responsibility lies with the governments, and they knew that. Today we should all have the wisdom to elect governments that are distinguished because it solves the problems of the majority people, namely the poor."
Today, the voice of the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa is back on a website with a missionary character, commenting on the role of the Church in this country in Central America that is dominated by poverty. "Some days after June 28 - writes the Cardinal Maradiaga - on behalf of the eleven Bishops of Honduras, I issued a public statement calling for understanding and reconciliation, beyond the interests of parties or groups. It was thought that I and most other Bishops sided with Micheletti. But that is not the case ... The declaration of the bishops did not support anything political, it only sought to educate people on how to learn from the mistakes of the past. Yet five minutes after reading the considerations of Bishops on television, I was threatened with death. ... Our country is in need of fundamental changes ... About Zelaya, I can say that I personally have lost faith in him after learning that he was guilty of corruption, of taking money from programs for the poor ... Unfortunately some continue to think that violence is the only option. But violence does not lead to anything, and we must always emphasize this point.
The Church in Honduras has always said that the three branches of government - executive, legislative and judicial - must act within the law and democracy, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Honduras. Pope Benedict XVI, at the Angelus on July 12, called for dialogue and reconciliation that has been much heard in Honduras, particularly struck by the fact that the Pope spoke of the coup without mentioning Zelaya.
On Sunday, November 29, the controversial presidential elections were held and December 2, Congress voted for a possible return of Zelaya (see Fides 27/11/2009). According to some news agencies, the majority of Congress voted against the reinstatement of the deposed president, Manuel Zelaya, thus preventing his return to power permanently. After more than 6 hours of debate, about 128 votes, 65 MPs have expressed a negative opinion, while only 9 voted for the return of Zelaya. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 3/12/2009)
